1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an obstacle detecting device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A various methods of detecting a vehicle-in-front, a pedestrian, or an obstacle, which is present in front of a vehicle, have been devised before. Patent Document 1 discloses an obstacle detecting device by which an obstacle around a vehicle is detected based on a reflective wave of laser light that has been emitted from a laser light source mounted on the vehicle in order to scan and irradiate a detection area around the vehicle.
Patent Document 2 discloses an automotive lighting device including both an infrared sensor for detecting an object around a vehicle by infrared light and a visible light source for emitting visible light onto an object when the infrared sensor detects the object. In this automotive lighting device, a region in front of the vehicle is scanned in a predetermined pattern by infrared light reflected by a reflecting mirror that reciprocates and turns.